Folding beds



W. D. DRIVER FOLDING BEDS May 29, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 17,1953 l r F INVENTDR W/LFRED D. DRIVER W. D. DRIVER FOLDING BEDS May 29,1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 17, 1953 INVENTOR W/LFRED D. OR/I E'RUnited States Patent FOLDING BEDS Wilfred 1D. Driver, ThessalonTownship, Ontario, Canada Application August 17, 1953, Serial No.374,702

4-Claims. (Cl. 5--2) My invention is directed to improvement in "bedstructures of the type which can be retracted from an attitude suitablefor use as a bed toanot-her attitude in which the bed and its supportsare concealedand, together with surrounding accessories forms part ofanother useful "piece of furniture other than abed.

There are two principal or generic'types'of retractable bed structures;one of these is arranged to'slide into an alcove Without changing itsattitude with respect to a supporting floor; the other type is usuallyhinged in's'ome way so as to fold into a comparatively shallow alcove orshell in which it resides in a substantially vertical attitude forstorage and/or concealment.

The first of these types affords a simple andeasy means for providing adisappearing bed and does not'present much manufacturing difficulty, butsuffers from the very serious defect that a large floor area is required"for'storing the'bed during the daily period of non use.

The second type possesses the advantage that the bed can'be stored ina-compa'ct'shell which uses theheight ofa room rather than a large floordimension, but prior art constructions'of this type suffer from thedisadvantage that the means for folding the bed (usually some'sort ofhinge arrangement) has not been reliable, and'frequentfailure of themechanism has constituted a continual cause for annoyance.

The present invention relates to bed-structures of the "folding type anda principal "object is "to provide in such a structure a reliablefolding mechanism.

It is a further object to provide in-co-operation with said foldingmechanism an improved arrangement for restraining the mattress andbedding frombeing-displaced when the bed is folded;

A furtherobject is to provide means for positioning the bed in itsattitude for use without disturbing essential accessories forming partofthe decor associated with the said other useful piece of furniturewhich is the means for concealment ofthe bed in its attitudeof non-use.

Still another object is to provide a folding "bed structure of the kindindicated which is hinged along its lesser dimensions so that the bedfolds into a recess of practical height in a room and wherein meansis'provided for preventing the concealing shell from tipping forward orbackward when the centre of g-ravity of' t-he system changed during theactuationofthe folding mechanism.

It is to be understood of course that the folding mechanism is a two wayorganization, that is, it facilitates the "folding or the unfolding ofthe bed depending upon what attitude is required in its field ofutility.

According to my teachings, in a folding bed structure,

I a folding and .restrainingflmechanism includes a group of interlockedlever systems comprising means for pivoting the bed structure at points'oniits minor dimensions such as to make the said bed structurebehave asa cantilever ,2 about said pivot, supporting feet "pivoted lever fashionat the outerends of "the beds'tructure, a pair of blanket restrainingpressure plates positioned oneadjacent each end of said bed structure,and for-the purposes of this specification, called paddles, supportmeansfor said paddles, each having means at one end for pivoting a saidpaddle in cantilever'fashionandatfthe other end, means for being itselfpivoted leverwiseabout-points adjacent an inner end of said bedstructure, a shell or concealing alcove having rigidly positioned sidepanels arranged to lie adjacent to the 'ends-o'fthe :bed when infolded-attitude, a receptacle in each said side panel designed toreceive a corresponding pivot of said bed structure, a link joining theupper arm of eachsaidsupporting foot to a point adacent the recep--tacle postioned'to receive the pivot on the corresponding end of said.bed structure, tension means co-acting with the lower arm of eachsaid'supp'orting foot positionedto urge the "arm inwardly against theurge of-a corresponding said link, tension means co-acting with eachsaid paddle support positioned to urge 'the paddle forward toward thebed surface when the latter is in the folded attitude, link meanscoacting with each paddle support and having one end fixed to arearportion ofsaid shell and its other end attached to the outer end-ofa said paddle support, the link being dimensioned to limit the outwardmovement of said paddle when the bed structure is being lowered to'theattitude of use, andtension means positioned to 'urge the bed structurewhen in closed'attitude to shift its equivalent centre of mass inwardlyto maintain itself in closed attitude.

In a further aspect the invention may include means for .rece'ssingapart of the concealing decor in an aperture at least *one of whosedimensions is variable to provide an expandable chamber which'allows adecor piece to nest underneath the bed structure when the'latter is inuse but which chamber is expandedin its said dimension when the 'bedisconcealed,topresent a simulation including the said decor as part of asaid other useful article of furniture.

In a still further aspect the invention may include means incorporatedin the structure'of the said shell for maintaining alow'centre ofgravity of the assembly so that when the bed portion is extended foruse, the said shell remains 'i'na fixed attitude while the movableportion of the assembly is changing its attitude.

These teachings wil'l'now b'emore intimately disclosed in the followingdescription of apractical and preferred embodiment of the invention, thetext being aided by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 depicts a perspective view of a bed and shell in the closedattitude, the concealment being in the form of asimulated fireplace andshowing a simulated grate and andirons as a concealing decor'piece.

Figure '2 depicts, in perspective, the bed structure of the invention inopen attitude.

Figure 3 depicts the attitude of Figure 2 with the bedding and most ofIh'e bed spring removed to show details of a cavity having a variabledimension which expands to accommodate a simulated grate assembly.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary end view of the embodiment described showingthe bed mechanism (partly in section) in closed attitude.

Figure .5 is a fragmentary end view showing the bed mechanismin the openattitude for use.

Figure 6 is a skeleton end view showing somewhat diagrammatically themechanical system for restraining and actuating the folding bedarrangement according to my teachings and depicts the systemin openattitude.

Figure 7 depicts the arrangement shown in Figure 6 in the closedattitude.

Figure 8 is a view corresponding to Figures 6 and 7 but depicting thebed in transit from the closed to the open attitude.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary depiction of a paddle and its actuating leverreferred to a line normal to that from which it is viewed in Figure 6.

Figure 10 is a sectional view of a supporting foot and shows details ofa pivoting means therefor.

Figure 11 depicts a pivot block assembly for supporting the bed andproviding a link anchorage.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary section showing a bed, pivot, pivot block andlink anchorage in assembled relation.

Referring now to these drawings, 1 is a shell designed to receive a bedstructure which'is covered on one side by a structure 2, 3 designed tosimulate a fireplace, and to partly contain in its recessed portion animitation fire grate 4 with accessory decorative andirons and/or thelike.

A decorative molding trims each of the two vertical front corners of thefireplace but is divided in three parts 8, 21 and 22. 8 is a leg piecedesigned to sup port the bed when in open attitude, 21 is a braceattached to the end-board of the bed and 22 is a permanent cornermoulding on the edge of a containing side of the shell 1. The portionshown in Figure 1 as the face of When the bed is open for use themoldings 8, 8 appear as front supports for the bed and the interior ofthe shell above the bed level may contain conveniences such as shelves,recesses such as 10 or drawers or the like as part of its content.

7 which are so controlled by a mechanism of the invention (to bedescribed) as to press against the bedding when the bed is folded forconcealment, and thus preand closed attitudes.

Nested beneath the bed-spring assembly 16 is a trayshaped member whichforms a recess having a back wall 11 attached to side walls 11' andhinged by mechanisms 12, 13 and 14 at each side wall 11' so that it canmove freely between forward and rearward positions. opening 15 in theback rail of the bed frame limits rearward movement of the tray. Whenthe bed assembly is folded for concealment this tray is moved backwardautomatically by gravitation. In this way thefireplace recess isincreased in depth to give the impression of a deep hearth, but when thebed is down, the tray falls forward and downward with the bed frame andthus increases the clearance between its back 11 and the bed-spring 16so as to allow the springs to sag without fouling against the back 11.This arrangement of a hearth aperture having in effect a telescopingrear portion enables the Whole structure to be made more shallow indepth than would otherwise be possible. Each hinge block 12 may have anabutment to engage hinge link 13 when the tray is in rear verticalattitude so as to limit its movement backwardly, thereby not relyingwholly upon the limits of aperture 15 to act as a stop. Ample clearanceis provided for the fire grate 4 in either positions of the bed assemtletop when the bed 1's folded. The remaining portion of the mantlepiece isthe top rail of the shell 1.

Up to this point the main feature of novelty disclosed is that of thetelescoping hearth. The rest of the aspect somewhat resembles similarfolding beds of theprior art.

The"

At this point, however, similarity to prior art ends and the featuredmeans for actuating the bed through its attitudes from closed to openand back again is now discussed.

It is desirable to have a structure of this type so designed that theoperation of opening and closing the bed can be performed easily by asmall or Weak person without undue expenditure of effort, and with aminimum of operations.

In prior art concepts various ropes, cables, and/or counterweights havebeen employed to aid in insuring a smooth operation of the opening andclosing mechanisms. These devices frequently fail and moreover often jamfor the reason that they involve unequal strain efforts upon theframework, and these strains are usually on top portions and/or ends orcorners so that they tend to pull the assembly out of shape after a timeand the user has trouble opening and closing the assembly.

According to the present invention these ropes, pulleys and movingcounterweights have been replaced by cantilever systems, that is, by theuse of pivot mountings which are positioned to balance the moving parts,some times with the aid of compensating springs where an exact balanceis desirable.

In a further aspect, this cantilever arrangement is supplemented by atoggle action whereby the cantilever system can be locked in the closedattitude without the use of latching devices, and whereby they unlockthemselves as soon as the system is urged to move outwardly toward theposition of use as a bed. These features will become evident byinspection of the drawings, particularly Figures 6 to 12 inclusive.

In Figures 6, 7 and 8 it is seen that the bed framework including theportion forming the front of the fireplace is Pivoted at 26 on a forwardportion of each of the wings or side wall extensions of the shell 1. Ineach end of the shell are situated the paddles 6,

When the bed is nearly closed the cantilever formed by the two parts ofthe bed lying on each side of the pivot and the spring arrangement aresubstantially in balance, but as the bed swings outward this balancetends to become impaired for the reason that the pivot is not at thecentre of the gravity of the assembly when in the horizonal attitude.The pivot block 27 has an L-shaped portion and at 28 and 29 a springlinkage is fixed and acts as a tether for a chain linkage 31 (aboutwhich more will be said later) and a spring 32 is attached to thistether by way of a selected link in the chain 31. The other end of thetension spring 32 is fastened to a point on the end rail of the bed nearthe outer end. Inspection of Figures 6, 7 and 8 in turn will disclosethat when the bed is closed the spring and tether act like a toggle andhelps to open the bed for the reason that the force of the tensionspring 32 is acting from a point above and outwardly of the pivotalpoint.

- A foot member 8 is pivoted at 18 and when associated with spring 33and chain 31 also becomes part of a centilever system. The length of thechain 31 is adjustable by a turn knuckle 39. As the bed swings outwardlythe cantilever system 45, 18, 46 swings about its pivot under thecontrol of chain 31 and spring 33 so that by the time the bed frame hasreached a horizontal attitude, the support foot 8 has reached anattitude normal to that which it presented when the bed was in theclosed attitude.

Owing to the tolerances which it is necessary to countenance'whenmanufacturing an article, it is desirable to allow the leg member 8 asmall amount of controlled side play. Figure 10 shows a section througha leg 8 and a fragment of the bed frame to which it is pivoted. Thepivot bolt 18 and nut 19 are not tightened up firmly but are restrainedby spring 20. An edge of the leg member 8 is set in past the side wallof the shell '1 to make a neat fit of the molding effect shown in Figurel and the slight easement of the pivot action provided by the spring 20enables the leg 8 to seat itself in the side Wall even if, over a periodof time, the woodwork of the casing changes its dimension slightly, asthese constructions usually do in spite of careful selection andpreparation of raw materials.

It will be noted in Figure 11 that the seat of the pivot 26 is slightlyoffset. This is done merely to assure that the pivot seat has an amplebearing surface. This seat is slotted to facilitate assembly.

An advantageous feature of the slotted seat is that the bed frame can bereadily removed from the shell as occasion may require. Obviously italso facilitates assembly of the bed frame in the shell.

My invention also contemplates means for preventing the bed clothingfrom becoming displaced when the bed is folded away for concealment,

When the bed is made up after use and presents the appearance such asthat depicted in Figure 2, there is usually a blanket folded at one endand there may be a pillow set (not shown) at another end. These articlesas well as the bed coverings and even the mattress itself will tend tocrumple up when the bed frame is folded unless some means is providedfor restraining them. This means should desirably function automaticallyin synchronism with the folding action, and to achieve this object itmust be integrated with the chosen arrangement for moving the bedstructure from one attitude to another.

In the present case the bed is pivoted to act like a cantilever and ameans has been devised which functions dependently upon the position ofthe inner arm of the lever to move a paddle so as to cause the latter topress against the end of the bed coverings while the bed is being foldedand to retain this pressure while. it is folded. It is further devisedthat when the bed is unfolded, the paddle retains pressure against'thebedding until after the bed has reached an angle whereat the risk of thebedding crumpling is removed and then, as the bed falls to its finalhorizontal attitude, the paddle retracts into a recess in the shell.

The paddles, one at each end of the bed are shown in retracted positionat 6, 7 in Figure 2 and details of the actuating mechanism for thepaddles are evident from inspection of Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Looking now at one of these paddle systems we have a paddle 7 supportedcrosswise of the bed and hinged at 37 on a transverse axis intermediateof its length. The hinge has a pintle 36 on which paddle pivots. Anactuating arm 35 carrying the hinge pivot or pintle 36 at its outer end,is pivoted on the end rail of the bed about half Way between the pivot26 and the. inner edge of the bed frame. One end of paddle 7 is Weightedas at 37 so that the paddle will swing on the pivot 36 to asubstantially vertical position as the bed is pulled down for use.

Spring 34. is positioned above the pivot and has one end fastened atpoint 52 and the other fixed to a point on the block 27 near the anchorpoint 47.

A chain anchor block 42 is mounted on the rear side part of the shell 1about half way up from the bottom, and a motion limiting leash 41attached between anchor 42 and point 43 on the paddle support arm 35limits the forward motion (as shown in Fig. 8) of the arm 35 and at thispoint in the downward movement of the unfolding bed, the paddle leavesthe surface of the bedding while the bottom arm of the cantilever, thatis, the rear portion of the bed, moves upward carrying paddle supportarm 35 with it. This shifts the relation between the anchor points ofspring 34 and the pivot 38 so that the chain leash 41 now starts to urgethe arm 35 backward into the recess of shell 1 and the paddle 7 thennests itself within the shell as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6.

When the bed starts to fold, the back portion of the bed recedesdownward until the position of Fig. 8 is again reached whereupon thepaddle is pulled forward by spring G 34 to the limits of, chain leash'41. Further movement to. close the bed causes tension on spring 34 toincrease and press the paddle 7 against the bed clothes. As the bottomportion of the bed drops to the final position for a vertical attitude,the spring 34 remains tense but the chain 41 relaxes and the paddleconforms to the surface of the bedding holding it firmly in place.

It will be evident that a similar toggle action takes place in the caseof the paddle support armas was noted in the case of the bed framecounter-balancing, and these two toggles work simultaneously beinginterlocked in their action because they have one common con-tributingchange in motionthat invoked by the cantilever pivoting of the bed andthe double joint present in the joint action of the two pivots 2-6 and38. Pivot 38 may be said to rotate about pivot 26.

Figure 9 shows an end view of the paddle 7, support and actuating arm 35and the end rail 17 of the bed and the means 38' for pivoting the arm 35on the rail 17.

The mechanism shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 and 9 are of course alsoduplicated on the other end of the bed and they operate in unison.

A part of the recess in shell 1 may desirably contain a weight mass 50in the region 51. This steadies the shell and tends to prevent it fromtipping forward when the bed is being unfolded. The weight mass 50 maybe made up of ordinary house bricks or other suitable weightingmaterial.

An important feature of "a fireplace whether real or simulated is thehearth aperture. This should. be as deep as possible in order to enhancerealism. However since the bed spring must be given space in which tosag with the weight of an occupant, a fire hearth to be associated withthe present construction, or one similar to it, must be capable of beingtelescoped in some way if the closed attitude of the assembly isto avoidbeing made unwieldy.

Figures 4 and 5 more clearly show how this, telescoping action has beenachieved in the present construction. The fire place is comprised of twomain parts, and this arrangement was briefly described earlier in thespecification, but it will be noted that the moveable section generallydenoted by the numeral 53 and earlier described as a tray is.approximately in line with pivot 26 so that as the bed swings one way orthe other the tray 53 can oscillate about the links 13cantilever-fashion and can telescope on fireplace frame 25 under theaction of gravity. It will be gathered that since the upper pivot pointsof links 13 are located rearwardly of dead centre of the lower pivotpoints of the links at all times, thetray 53 automatically swingsbackward when the bed is raised on pivots 26. Since grate assembly 4 isdesirably a moveable object (to facilitate house cleaning) it may notalways be ideally located and the freedom provided by the double jointedmounting of the tray 53 is therefore an important feature in theconstruction since it always insures that the inner tray part 53 willalways telescope when the bed is lowered so as not to foul the bedspring and will always return again to a deep cavity attitude when thebed is raised to its closed position.

It will be evident from what has already been said about the cantileverstructure of the bed frame that the bed may be lowered and raised withlittle effort on the part of the user. This is brought about by the.novel arrangement at each end of the bed of the chain 31, springs 32, 33and 34 as well as the leash 41. In the unfolding operation of the bed,the bed frame (denoted as a whole by the numeral 54) is pulled downmanually to swing on the pivots 26. As the bed is swung away from itsvertical closed position the springs 32 and. 33 function to aid incounteracting the downward gravitational stress of the bed in the downmovement.

In functioning, the springs 32 and 38 shift their points of. stress fromthe short chain loop 29 to the long stretch of chain 31 including thesection 28. Section 28 is the part of chain 31 which extends from theconnecting point 44 of chain loop 29 to the point 47 at which this chainis fastened to the top of the L-part of block 27. Connecting point 47 isabove and at the inner side of pivot axis 26. Chain loop 29 is alsoconnected to the L-part of block 27 but at a point 48 which is lower andnearer to the pivot axis 26 than point 47. This arrangement has theadvantage that the springs do exert an opening force on the bed in itsfully closed position. In the lowering of the bed the legs '8 are swungto unfolded positions by the action of the chains 31, The spring 34 alsocomes into action to aid in balancing the lowering of the bed when theleashes 41 are pulled taut. The unfolding action of the bed is simpleand positive and the cantilever system allows the bed to rest firmly onthe floor. It might be mentioned at this time that panels 55 areattached to the ends of the bed frame to conceal the springs 32, 33 andthe chain 31 as well as the upper part of legs 8.

It should now be evident that my invention provides a folding bed havingadvantageous new features wherein the pivotal points of the system arephilosophically shifted with each change in cent-re of gravity as theattitude of the bed is changed, yet the physical positions of the actualpivots are firm in their respective fittings, affording a very practicalarticle of manufacture which is completely self adjusting and automaticin use; every necessary function connected with the folding andconcealing and the unfolding for use is effected by the application tothe system of one single urging force.

Minor modifications of the described construction will occur :to thoseskilled in the art and the exemplified embodiment is not to be regardedas limiting the scope of my teachings a-s defined in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A folding bed arrangement of the character described comprising anupright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said Wallsdefining a storage chamber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normalhorizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontal openingserving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed support structure, amattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structure being pivoted insaid shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane of the horizontalbed whereby said bed supporting structure assumes the form of acantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm, said innershort arm being swingable inwardly and said outer long arm beingswingable outwardly when said bed is swung from its vertical closedposition to its open horizontal position, said pivotal connection of thebed supporting structure forming a part of a folding and restrainingmechanism comprising a tensioned coil spring having an outer endattached to said bed support ing structure at a point on said outer longarm of the cantilever remote from said pivotal connection and at theinner side of a vertical plane containing the pivot axis of the bed whenthe bed is closed, said spring extending inwardly to terminate in aninner end short of said pivotal connection, a first flexible elementconnecting said inner end of the spring to said shell at a pointinwardly of and slightly above said pivotal connection, and a secondflexible element connecting said inner end of the spring to said shellat a point slightly above said pivotal connection and substantially in avertical plane containing the pivotal axis of this connection, wherebyin the lowering of the bed the direction of the moment of the springforce exerts an initial opening force and then counters the majorportion of the opening movement of the bed.

2. A folding bed arrangement of the character described comprising anupright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said wallsdefining a storage ch ber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normalhorizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontalopenlngserving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed supportstructure, a mattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structurebeing pivoted in said shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane ofthe horizontal bed whereby said bed supporting structure assumes theform of a cantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm,said inner short arm being swingable inwardly and said outer long armbeing swingable outwardly when said bed is swung from its verticalclosed position to its open horizontal position, said pivotal connectionof the bed supporting structure forming a part of a folding andrestraining mechanism comprising a tensioned coil spring having an outerend attached to said bed supporting structure at a point on said outerlong arm of the cantilever remote from said pivotal connection and atthe inner side of a vertical plane containing the pivot axis of the bedwhen the bed is closed, said spring extending inwardly to terminate inan inner end short of said pivotal connection, a first flexible elementconnecting said inner end of the spring to said shell at a pointinwardly of and slightly above said pivotal connection, a secondflexible element connecting said inner end of the spring to said shellat a point slightly above said pivotal connection and substantially in avertical plane containing the pivotal axis of this connection, wherebyin the lowering of the bed the direction of the moment of the springforce exerts an initial opening force and then counters the majorportion of the opening movement of the bed, a leg pivoted to the distalend of said outer long arm of the bed support structure to swing betweenfolded and unfolded positions, and a flexible member connecting said legto at least one of said flexible elements and operative to unfold saidleg while the bed is being lowered for use.

3. A folding bed. arrangement of the character described comprising anupright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said wallsdefining a storage chamber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normalhorizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontal openingserving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed support structure, amattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structure being pivoted insaid shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane of the horizontalbed, whereby said bed supporting structure assumes the form of acantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm, a paddlearranged transversely of said bed to overlie said bed coverings, anupright actuating arm pivoted at a lower end to said short arm of saidbed supporting structure, said actuating arm extending upwardly fromsaid pivoted connection and being hingedly connected to the medialsection of said paddle, resilient means pressing said actuating armtoward said longer arm of said bed support structure to cause the paddleto bear on the bed coverings, and restraining means having a connectionwith said shell for reversely turning said actuating arm about its pivotas said bed is swung down to horizontal attitude.

4. A folding bed arrangement of the character described comprising anupright shell having enclosing walls and a frontal opening, said wallsdefining a storage chamber for a bed when the bed is swung from a normalhorizontal attitude to a vertical storage position, said frontal openingserving to admit the bed, said bed including a bed support structure, amattress, and bed clothing; said bed support structure being pivoted insaid shell rearwardly of the central vertical plane of the horizontalbed, whereby said bed supporting structure assumes the form of acantilever having an inner short arm and an outer long arm, a paddlearranged transversely of said bed to overlie said bed coverings, anupright actuating arm having a lower end pivoted to said short arm ofsaid bed supporting structure to swing in a plane transversely of saidbed to and away from the centre line of said bed, a hinge bar carried bythe upper end of said actuating arm to overlie said bed coverings, meanshingedly connecting said hinge bar to the medial portion of said paddle,resilient means pressing said actuating arm toward said longer arm ofsaid bed supporting structure to cause said paddle to bear on said bedcoverings, and restraining means connected to said shell for reverselyturning said actuating arm about its pivot as said bed is swung 5 downto horizontal attitude.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS428,212 Jacobson May 20, 1890

